The summer TV hiatus is the perfect time to catch up on British sitcoms. So this week's blog posts will feature my latest Britcom discoveries, which I have been avidly watching in between matches at Wimbledon. Grab a cup of tea and a biscuit and settle in for some of the funniest shows around, starting with Miranda.
I've already discussed my love for Miranda Hart, the British comedienne whose memoir, Is It Just Me? is uproarious and touching in equal measure. Those same adjectives can be applied to her eponymous sitcom, which contains many elements you might recognize from her book. She plays the owner of a joke shop who runs the place with her intense and "alluring" friend, Stevie (Sarah Hadland). Miranda is tall (6' 1" to be precise), insanely clumsy, and awkward, with a tendency to break wind or break into song at any moment. In her mid-30s, she is completely single, which is a sore spot for her middle-class mother, Penny (Patricia Hodge), who is on a crusade to get her daughter married. Penny is constantly criticizing our poor heroine, who is tremendously good-natured but always getting into horrendous scrapes that often result in the loss of various articles of clothing.
No sitcom could be complete without a love interest and that's where the dreamy Gary (Tom Ellis) comes in. He and Miranda are good friends from university and Miranda has always carried a torch for him. He works as a chef in the restaurant across the street from her, so she's always over there, providing steady business with her generous appetite. The two of them get on like a house on fire, and their will-they won't-they relationship is one of the loveliest things you'll see on TV. It's based on the assumption that Miranda is delightful the way she is and that she can find a man without having to completely alter her persona. Of course, her mother and boarding school friend, Tilly (Sally Phillips), disagree and each episode builds up to a farce where Miranda is forced to do something against her will and it inevitably all goes wrong.
In many ways, this is a very old-fashioned sitcom. Miranda constantly breaks the fourth wall by addressing the audience and there are plenty of catchphrases and repetitive elements that pepper every episode. At the end, all of the actors dance and wave into the camera and it's certainly no one's idea of a 21st century show. And yet, it is charming, witty, well-written, and hysterical. Every character is appealing and you can't help loving and rooting for Miranda every step of the way. The British public certainly agree and the show has won a slew of British comedy awards. So if you live in the US and have yet to be introduced to Miranda Hart, head over to Hulu to watch the first season, and discover what you've been missing.
I've already discussed my love for Miranda Hart, the British comedienne whose memoir, Is It Just Me? is uproarious and touching in equal measure. Those same adjectives can be applied to her eponymous sitcom, which contains many elements you might recognize from her book. She plays the owner of a joke shop who runs the place with her intense and "alluring" friend, Stevie (Sarah Hadland). Miranda is tall (6' 1" to be precise), insanely clumsy, and awkward, with a tendency to break wind or break into song at any moment. In her mid-30s, she is completely single, which is a sore spot for her middle-class mother, Penny (Patricia Hodge), who is on a crusade to get her daughter married. Penny is constantly criticizing our poor heroine, who is tremendously good-natured but always getting into horrendous scrapes that often result in the loss of various articles of clothing.No sitcom could be complete without a love interest and that's where the dreamy Gary (Tom Ellis) comes in. He and Miranda are good friends from university and Miranda has always carried a torch for him. He works as a chef in the restaurant across the street from her, so she's always over there, providing steady business with her generous appetite. The two of them get on like a house on fire, and their will-they won't-they relationship is one of the loveliest things you'll see on TV. It's based on the assumption that Miranda is delightful the way she is and that she can find a man without having to completely alter her persona. Of course, her mother and boarding school friend, Tilly (Sally Phillips), disagree and each episode builds up to a farce where Miranda is forced to do something against her will and it inevitably all goes wrong.
In many ways, this is a very old-fashioned sitcom. Miranda constantly breaks the fourth wall by addressing the audience and there are plenty of catchphrases and repetitive elements that pepper every episode. At the end, all of the actors dance and wave into the camera and it's certainly no one's idea of a 21st century show. And yet, it is charming, witty, well-written, and hysterical. Every character is appealing and you can't help loving and rooting for Miranda every step of the way. The British public certainly agree and the show has won a slew of British comedy awards. So if you live in the US and have yet to be introduced to Miranda Hart, head over to Hulu to watch the first season, and discover what you've been missing.
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